Calls for nation action after girl, 10, commits suicide

A REMOTE community in Western Australia is in shock following the apparent suicide of a 10-year-old girl.

The indigenous child appeared to have killed herself in the bush community of Looma, in West Kimberley, on Sunday night.

She is believed to be one of 19 indigenous people who have taken their own lives in remote WA in the past three months.

The spate of suspected suicides in the Kimberley and Pilbara will be examined at a coronial inquest, the Coroner’s Court of WA has confirmed.

State Coroner Ros Fogliani decided there was a need to hold an inquest after reviewing a number of cases.

A court spokesperson said: “It is not presently possible to confirm the number of deaths which will be listed for inquest or the timing of the hearing as coronial investigations are not yet complete and the State Coroner is continuing to review suspected suicides in the region.

“The Coroner’s Court is making every effort to progress the matter as soon as possible.”

The girl is from the large Mangolamarra family of the coastal Kimberley community of Kalumburu, where she had lived ­previously, The Australian reports.

Support services have mobilised to assist Looma’s devastated community.

Gerry Georgatos, who is part of a Federal Government taskforce providing crisis support to families affected by suicide, said the news of the girl’s death needed to be “heard across the nation”.

“It is tragic that a young child would be so trapped in a sense of hopelessness ... it’s a tragedy that needs to be heard across the nation if we are going to extract a dividend of change,” he told the ABC.

“Contact is being made, the school psychologist is going in today to the school, so all that stuff is being done.

“But we need to secure that wraparound, 24-7, and support the families in practical ways.”

Mr Georgatos said he had been notified of 19 indigenous deaths in WA since Christmas.

“Usually we have about 30, 40 suicides by Aboriginal people each year in WA, but we are already about halfway there by this point in the year,” he said.

“Hopefully it stops but it doesn’t look like that, so we’re looking at a higher than usual toll for 2016.”

The ABC reports planning is underway for an inquest into indigenous suicides across the Pilbara and Kimberley.

It is understood the WA Coroner will examine the circumstances of at least a dozen deaths in northern WA in recent years.

WA Child Protection Minister Helen Morton said she was “deeply concerned” by the girl’s death.

“It is devastating that a child of 10 would even consider taking their own life,” she said in a statement.

“It will be heartbreaking to the family, relatives and community members.”

SUICIDE RATES INCREASING

The girl’s death comes as shocking new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, out yesterday, reveals the sharp rise in death by suicide among middle-aged Australians and young women have driven the national suicide rate to a 13-year high.

Australia’s suicide rate rose to 12 per 100,000 people in 2014, the highest level since it reached 12.6 per 100,000 in 2001.

According to the data, the suicide rate among people aged 55 to 64 years surged by 54 per cent in the 10 years to 2014.

The rate of suicide among women aged 15 to 24 rose by 50 per cent over the same period, compared to a two per cent increase for men — however men comprise three-quarters of the 362 suicides in that age group.

The data also confirms suicide remains the main cause of death for young people in Australia.

Black Dog Institute director and chief scientist Helen Christensen said a new approach was needed to drive down suicide rates.

“If we want to be really serious about saving lives, we need to understand why people become suicidal and identify how we can best tackle these issues before they reach crisis point,” she said.

“If we look to the research evidence from here and overseas, there are clear strategies that have been proven to reduce suicide risk. Only some of these are currently in use in Australia, and implementation tends to be scattered and disproportionate to their impact.”

Black Dog researchers and clinicians in NSW are currently working on one of the world's first suicide prevention trials, which they believe will reduce the suicide rate by 20 per cent in the first few years.

If you or someone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit its website.

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